Bethlehem Area School Directors debate synthetic turf

Bethlehem Area School Directors discuss adding synthetic turf at schools

The Bethlehem Area School Board will vote next week on awarding construction bids for the Nitschmann Middle School project, but not all directors are on board with a part of the project that adds synthetic turf at the middle school and at Freedom High School.

At Monday night's committee meeting, the board discussed the $53 million middle school project at Eighth Avenue and West Union Boulevard, which came in under budget. Because costs are lower than expected, the district is pushing for synthetic turf at both Freedom High and the middle school.

Liberty High School has synthetic turf on Frank Banko Field at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium. No middle school in the district has synthetic turf.

At the middle school, a synthetic turf would cost $660,000, and at Freedom about $2.5 million, but the district has $1.89 million from the middle school project left to use at Freedom.

But while it seems the majority of the school board is in favor of synthetic turf, a couple directors voiced concern.

School Director Angela Sinkler said there is a list of district buildings that need significant repairs, and she'd prefer to see work done there first.

"It's been weighing heavily with me," she said.

School Director Sudantha Vidanage seconded Sinkler's concerns.

"We really have to think through this," he said. "I know it's cheaper to do this now than later, but there's other issues in the district we need to look at."

School Director Basilio A. Bonilla Jr. asked if the district could have synthetic turf at the high school, but not the middle school.

Board President Michael Faccinetto said he was against that.

"If I'm going to say yes to one, I'm saying yes to both," he said.

The district has previously said the synthetic turfs will be used by all students in the district.

Construction will begin on Nitschmann this summer, with students attending the school in August 2017.